Do I Need a Bike Fit, a PT Assessment, or Both?
Knee pain. Numb hands. An achy back. Saddle discomfort. Or maybe you just can't seem to get comfortable on your bike.
When something isn't feeling right while riding, it can be hard to know where to start: Do you need a bike fit, a physical therapy assessment, or both?
That's exactly why Jeff at Velo Valets and I created our “Do I Need a Bike Fit, a PT Assessment, or Both?” guide. You can use the guide for a quick answer, but let's dig a little deeper into what we're actually looking at during each assessment—and why combining the two can be so useful.
Let's start with the bike fit
A bike fit looks at how you interact with your bike.
At Velo Valets, Jeff uses Shimano's bike-fitting technology to evaluate your position and pedaling mechanics. This allows him to adjust variables such as saddle position, reach, crank length and handlebar setup while collecting objective information about how you're actually producing force on the bike.
This is where the information becomes especially helpful from a PT perspective. The pedal dynamics can give us information about which muscle groups appear to be contributing during different portions of your pedal stroke. Pedal-pressure graphs can provide clues about how stable your foot and arch are as you apply force. And right-to-left power percentages can show whether you're consistently favoring one side.
Jeff can then see how those measurements change as he adjusts your position.
If you look at the “Start With a Bike Fit” column in our downloadable guide, you'll notice that many of the signs are very bike-specific: saddle discomfort, feeling stretched or cramped, difficulty getting comfortable in different riding positions, or symptoms that only occur while riding.
Those are situations where changing the demands of the bike itself may be an important part of the solution.
What Does My PT Assessment Add?
My assessment asks a slightly different question:
Does your body have the strength, mobility and capacity to meet the demands we're seeing on the bike?
We start with your symptoms, injury history and training, then assess three major areas.
Strength
I use the VALD Dynamo system to objectively measure force output rather than simply grading strength by feel.
For cyclists, I assess muscle groups including:
Hip flexors, extensors, abductors, adductors and external rotators
Quadriceps and hamstrings
Ankle dorsiflexors
Trunk musculature
This builds on the strength testing included in my cyclist assessment form, which also compares relationships between muscle groups such as hamstring-to-quadriceps and anterior-to-posterior trunk strength.
The VALD system gives us actual force measurements and asymmetry percentages, which means we can identify meaningful differences and then repeat the same testing later to objectively track your progress.
Movement + Mobility
I also look at how you use that strength through movements such as single-leg squats, bridges, hopping, squatting and deadlifting.
Then we assess mobility through the neck, thoracic and lumbar spine, hips, knees and ankles to see if your body has the passive and active mobility required to comfortably access your riding position.
We're not looking for a perfectly symmetrical or endlessly flexible cyclist. We're asking whether there's a limitation that actually matters for your riding position, symptoms and goals.
That's why the “Start With a PT Assessment” section of our guide includes things like symptoms that occur off the bike, previous injuries, persistent numbness or weakness, strength asymmetries, or problems that don't improve even when you reduce your riding.
Where It Gets Really Useful: Putting the Two Together
This is my favorite part of the process.
Jeff's assessment can give me information about what you're doing on the bike. My assessment helps investigate why you might be doing it.
For example, Jeff's data might show that:
You're producing less power on the left.→ Is the bike positioning you differently on that side, or do you actually have a measurable strength or mobility difference?
Your pedal-pressure graph suggests your foot isn't staying particularly stable.→ Is that related to shoe or cleat setup, or do we find a strength or control deficit when I assess your foot, lower leg, and hip?
Your pedal dynamics look different between sides.→ Is your position contributing, or are there differences in strength, mobility, injury history or capacity that help explain what we're seeing?
And sometimes both are contributing.
That's exactly what the third column of our PDF—“You May Benefit From Both”—is getting at.
Rather than guessing whether the problem is your bike or your body, Jeff and I can use information from both assessments to determine whether we need to change the demands of the bike, improve your capacity to meet those demands, or do a little of both.
So, Where Should You Start?
Use our “Do I Need a Bike Fit, a PT Assessment, or Both?” guide as your starting point.
If the issue is primarily bike-specific—your position feels wrong, you're uncomfortable in the saddle, or symptoms only appear while riding—start with Jeff.
If symptoms occur on and off the bike, you're managing an injury, or strength, mobility or physical capacity seem to be contributing—start with me.
And if you've already tried one approach without fully solving the problem, or you're seeing asymmetries on the bike that we want to investigate further, there's a good chance we'll want to look at both.
Ultimately, the bike and the cyclist are one system.
Jeff helps us understand and adjust the bike. I help us understand and build the rider. And the information we get from each assessment helps us make better decisions about both.
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